Quell
by PhoenixGrace
Summary: An idea is all President Snow needs to change the 75th Annual Hunger Games for good. As a reminder that all generations of the rebels were being killed over and over again, the tributes and the mentors of the previous games must return to the arena. This time, the Careers are out for revenge. When things get too bland, throw in romance! I own nothing. Clarvel/Glato.
1. Plotting

**(I own nothing and I never will. Dedicated to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited Second Chances. I had to delete it to work on this.)**

"I quite liked last year's tributes. They were real fighters." President Snow commented. Plutarch Heavensbee nodded, remembering the twenty-four children sent into the forested arena. Snow poured himself another cup of tea.

"They certainly were interesting, sir." Heavensbee agreed. The President switched on a nearby projector, which immediately began playing the bloodbath for the previous games. None of the children seemed immensely terrified (save for the District 3 girl, whose eyes were already filled with tears). Heavensbee always liked the fighters.

"Who was your favorite, Plutarch?" Snow asked. The Head Gamemaker pondered over his answer for a moment.

"I wanted that boy from 2 to win. Cato, wasn't it?"

"Yes, yes. I favored Clove, from 2. I've been thinking, Plutarch, what if there is a way for those tributes to come back?" The President mused. "Didn't we create muttations in their likeness? Did we not recreate their features?"

"Yes, sir, it was a very ingenious idea on Seneca Crane's part, but-"

"And then, say, we tossed them back into the arena to _fight again. _Say that we had them fight again, but with _their mentors. _What would you call this?"

Heavensbee's mind was whirring with ideas and thoughts until he stumbled upon one small word.

"Quell, sir?"

"Exactly."

The two men ate in silence for a while. On the projection, the boy from District 1 was running a spear though the girl from District 7.

"As a reminder that all generations of the rebels were being killed over and over again, the tributes and their mentors of the previous games must return to the arena," Plutarch Heavensbee said. President Snow smiled his sour smile.

"The arena is ready, I trust?" he asked. Plutarch nodded.

"We just need to fill the separate time zones."

"I want it done by midnight, tomorrow." The President ordered. Heavensbee nodded and stood. "One last thing, my friend."

"Yes, President Snow?"

"We do not have forty-eight tributes ready to go into the arena. We have forty-seven. How do we get another female tribute from District 12?"

"We send in Primrose Everdeen, of course."

Snow grinned.

"An excellent plan."

**(Wow, intro chapter got you interested? Keep reading! More up soon!)**


	2. Training

**(2 Chapters! Wooo! I own nothing, as usual. Enjoy!)**

-Clove's P.O.V.-

The sudden wave of realization makes me want to throw up.

Instead, I grab Cato's wrist and choke out a few swear words. He looks a little startled at first, but manages to haul me back to reality. For the past few days, we've only had each other and our mentors, Brutus and Enobaria, to talk to.

"We killed half of these kids." I mutter. Cato nods, and I wonder whether it's really a big deal to him.

"Yeah, but we'll just talk to Marvel and Glimmer. No big deal." He reminds me. I roll my eyes and punch him in the gut.

"Brutus and Enobaria told us to make friends." I sigh. The elevator doors finally open, revealing a brand new training center. Cato shoves me out.

A drunk man that I think is from 5 is throwing up on the sword fighting station. Gloss and Cashmere are already hurling knives at orange projections. An old woman from 4 is teaching a younger girl how to make fish hooks. Johanna Mason, from 7, is destroying some projections with both her pupils. Cato scans the training center.

"I'm going to go join Gloss and Cahsmere. Coming?" he asks. I shake my head and start towards the team from 7.

"-it really helps if you know how to throw knives, and… oh, hello." Johanna Mason turns towards me as I approach her station. Instead of hateful looks, she grins. The girl from 7 who was in the games with me last year holds out her hand.

"I'm Willow. That's Alder." She says. I nod at the boy from her district.

"Clove." I tell her. Willow hands me a throwing axe.

"You know how to throw, Knives?" Johanna asks. I shake my head, trying not to grin at the nickname.

"Only knives." I reply. She twirls the weapon in her hands and sends it flying at a projection. Alder tries with his axe, but it misses by a few inches.

"Don't worry, kid. You wanna try?" Johanna motions for me to throw. I close my eyes and try to remember something about throwing axes, but I come up with the rules for throwing knives. Willow taps my arm just as I let the axe fly. It only sticks in the projection's arm.

"They're staring at you." Willow whispers. I whip around to see Firebomb, her little sister, Loverboy, and Haymitch glaring daggers at me. Well, not the little girl. She's too focused on the ground.

"Ignore them and go find your mentors." Johanna mumbles under her breath. I say goodbye to Willow and Alder and walk towards the knife-throwing station. Gloss is still there, but Cashmere has moved on to camouflage.

"12 was staring at me." I tell him. He glances in their direction and laughs.

"See that man with them? Haymitch? He's a drunk. Probably won't make it through the first night. Firebomb's sister, Primrose, she's thirteen, one of the youngest in the arena. Not a fighter." He scoffs. Feeling a bit better, I take a knife in my hands and toss it at the projection. Gloss makes a sound of approval, so we spend fifteen minutes throwing together.

"Where're Brutus and Enobaria?" he asks suddenly. I wipe my sweaty palms on my pants and look around the training center.

"They're… with Cato. Where are Marvel and Glimmer?"

"Last I saw 'em, Glimmer was flirting with Perfection Odair and Marvel was at camouflage with the Morphlings." Gloss answers.

"Thanks. I'll see you for lunch." I say, and head off towards the survival stations. There are quite a few to pick from. Primrose and Loverboy are at the medicinal plants station, the Morphlings are still at the camouflage station, the girl from 10 and the mentors from 8 are at the edible bugs station, everyone from 5 is at the edible plants station, Finnick Odair and the boy from District 4 are making fishing rods, the elderly woman from District 4 is still teaching the girl from her district how to make fish hooks, and the girl from 9 is tying knots.

Before I can choose a station, a rough hand drags me to the side.

"Cato! Get off of me!" I yelp. He doesn't let go, even when Atala gives him the evil eye. "What the hell do you want?"

As soon as the peacekeepers and trainers have looked away, Cato opens a closet door and shoves me inside.

"Oh, God, that's dark." I gasp as he shuts the door, leaving us in pitch black. A pair of arms engulfs me in a huge hug. It takes every muscle in my body not to fight back.

"Clove! We haven't seen you in ages!" squeals a familiar voice.

"Well, I haven't seen you at all, so can someone turn on a light?" I mutter. Cato flips on the switch, and a light in the closet illuminates and begins to flicker.

"Glad you could join us, Clover dear." Says another voice. The arms are pried off of me, only to be replaced by another pair.

"Marvelous!" I grin in excitement. When Marvel lets me go, I notice our four mentors.

Not one of them is smiling.


	3. Scoring

**(Ahh! Thanks for reading! I own nothing )**

Once, when I was thirteen, a bunch of the kids in the training center had a party the night before the reaping. Of course, we all drank so much orange juice that the sugar took over our brains. Laney Reed started a game of truth or dare, and everyone joined in. I was the first person to choose dare, which meant that Laney could put her devious mind to work. She finally dared me to punch the cutest guy in the room. Pretty much every boy started saying, "I'm not cute!".

I punched Cato in the ribs. Laney squaled her head off until she saw the rib poking out of Cato's skin. I got in so much trouble that I slept outside. Nobody ever came into physical contact with me after that.

.

Gloss smirks at me, probably thinking something along the lines of, _Oh my God, Clove is such an idiot. Like, she has no clue what's going on. Loser. _

Instead of yelling or grumbling, I slam my fist into his jaw.

"Clove! What the hell is wrong with you?" Glimmer shrieks. Enobaria slaps a hand over her mouth as everyone turns to stare at me.

"Uh… sorry…" I mutter. Brutus laughs coldly.

"She's a tough one." She comments. Cashmere rolls her eyes and turns to help her brother. Marvel flashes me a thumbs-up.

"Anyway, I think we should-"

"_All tributes, please report for individual assessment. All tributes, please report for individual assessment."_

The announcement cuts off Enobaria's words. Cato opens the door and we file out quickly. A few peacekeepers usher us to a separate room. There are six rows of eight bins to sit on. The drunk, Loverboy, Firebomb, and the little girl are huddled in a corner, probably discussing ways to kill us.

All the tributes sit in an awkward silence until the gamemakers call for Gloss. He stands up, smiles at Cashmere, glares at me, and leaves. Everyone starts muttering. Glimmer, Cato, and Marvel start talking about what they'll do. A few of the bolder tributes (Finnick Odair, Johanna Mason, the man from Eleven, the drunk, Firebomb, and Loverboy) start joking about what they'll do in their sessions. The man from Eleven (whose name is apparently Chaff) and the drunk plan to make alcohol out of healing liquids. Johanna Mason and Finnick Odair talk about stripping (Firebomb covers her sister's ears until they've stopped talking).

Just as they call back Marvel Bronzeman, I get up and talk to the boy from Four about knots. He's wary of me at first, then starts showing me every single knot in the book. I practice one with a few stands of my hair, and he seems impressed. The old woman from his district comes over to watch. I can't tell what she says, but the boy tells me that her name is Mags. By the time Cato's being called back, I have two knots memorized. I thank him and Mags and return to my crate.

"_Clove Rosewood. Report for individual assessment."_

A few of the mentors glance up at me as I walk over to the gate. The assessment area has been littered with knives, spears, and arrows. I take in the supplies. There is some rope, tons of dummies, an arsenal of weapons, and several dozen jars of paint.

"Clove Rosewood, you have twelve minutes to perform your skill of choice. You may begin." Says the head gamemaker. I search my head for ideas, then grab some rope, a dummy, and some paint. One of the knots comes into my head, and I fashion a noose around the dummy's head. With some of the paints, I draw a beard on the dummy's face.

A few of the gamemakers are watching me, but most are focused on a their lunches. I paint _Seneca Crane _on the dummy's chest, throw the rope over a hook on the ceiling, and hoist it up for the gamemakers to see.

Their reaction is instant, but I'm still not finished. I find a perfect, sharp knife and throw it at the dummy's back. It swings around wildly.

"Thanks." I yell at the gamemakers. They stare me as I leave.

Two peacekeepers escort me back to the second floor where everyone is gathered. Gloss's face is bright red, and his stylist is going insane.

"Clove! What'd you do?" asks Cato. I bite my lip before answering.

"I hung Seneca Crane." I mutter.

"You _what_?" Enobaria gasps. I shrug and sit on the plush green sofa.

"Nice." Cashmere mutters, and passes me a chocolate chip muffin. Glimmer slaps me a high-five and Brutus nods in approval.

"Do you think the scores will be in soon?" Marvel wonders. Enobaria shakes her head.

"At best, they're observing that woman from Three." she comments. We sit and talk until an avox comes to serve us lunch. Glimmer looks at her beef reproachfully, but eats it as soon as Marvel asks for her meal. Caesar Flickerman appears on screen about half an hour later.

"As we all know, the tributes were ranked on a scale of one to twelve after three days of careful evaluation. The scores are in!" he laughs and starts to glance at a sheet of scores.

The District 1 stylists (Porcelain, Polish, Carat, and Silk) join us just in time for Gloss's score to be called. He receives a ten, which is no surprise. Cashmere gets a nine, and Marvel and Glimmer get tens. Enobaria gets an eleven (much to our shock) and Brutus gets a ten.

By this time, Cato and I are as anxious as we can be.

"_My dessert on Clove getting the higher score."_

"_You're on, loser."_

I glare at Marvel out of the corner of my eye. He shrugs and stares at Caesar.

"From District 2… Cato Thorne… with a score of eleven."

Glimmer smirks and punches Marvel in the arm. Enobaria and Brutus congratulate Cato on his score.

"For District 2, Clove Rosewood… with a score of twelve."

"What the _hell_?" I mumble.

"_Hah!" _Marvel shrieks. He punches Glimmer back and jumps up. The mentors stare at the screen in disbelief.

"A _twelve? _Damn, Clove!" Cato laughs nervously. Glimmer gives me a little hug and whispers something along the lines of, _"I hate you, Knives." _In my ear. Marvel tries for a hug, but ends up giving me a handshake. Cashmere and Glimmer silence us after a few minutes of celebration.

"_Shut up_! It's Finnick Odair!"

Finnick gets a ten, which is really to be expected. The little boy from his district gets a five. The morphling addicts get fours. Johanna Mason and the other mentor (Blight) get relatively high scores (a nine for Blight and a ten for Johanna). Willow gets a seven.

"I wonder what Twelve got. The gamemakers seem to be giving only high scores this year." Cashmere snorts as they flash a seven under Alder's picture. The only other notable scores are a seven for the girl from Nine (Bailey), an eight for Chaff, a nine for Thresh, and an eight for Rue. We all hold our breath as they show Peeta's picture.

"District 12's Peeta Mellark, with a score of… five?"

I laugh and grin at my allies. Caesar seems especially dismayed (probably because he adores Peeta).

"Primrose Everdeen, from District 12, with a score of nine."

"What?" Cashmere shrieks. "That little bit-"

"Shut _up, _Cash!" Gloss growls.

"District 12, Haymitch Abernathy, with a score of five. And finally… Katniss Everdeen, with a score of… _is this right, Claudius? No, it's a mistake, I'm sure it- it's what? Oh, well, I suppose. _A score of- er- two."

_Two. Two. Two. Two._

"We beat them all." Brutus says. He gets up and heads towards the elevator.

"Brutus? Where're you going?" Gloss calls as the stylists crack open a bottle of champagne.

"To find some friends."

.

**Hope you enjoyed this terrible filler chapter. Ugh. I'll update soon. Here's a sneak peek (and personal reference for me) as to what's gonna be in the next chapter.**

**-Interviews**

**-Rings**

**-Dresses**


	4. Proposing

**Well… thank you so much!**

**First off, I apologize to Zero for not writing what I discussed with her. Sorry. Please enjoy!**

**Also, I will probably discontinue. I'm not writing because I like to anymore, so a lot of feeling has gone out of my writing. I only update cause (some) people want me to.**

**I own nothing.**

**.**

"_How did you know about Seneca Crane?"_

"There's this damn thing called logic. All the tributes have been talking about it. There's a new head gamemaker. Snow probably didn't like the fact that Seneca Crane allowed two victors, so Seneca Crane most likely kissed life goodbye."

"_Aren't you scared the tributes will hate you?"_

"They already hate me enough. Damn them all."

"_But why did you do it?"_

"Cause I wanted a good damn score! Dammit…"

"_Stop swearing and put on those heels."_

"Damn you." I put on the heels and a peach colored dress. My stylist, Hephaestus, starts rambling on about how I _must _look presentable to the audience, so no swearing, glaring, or eye rolling. I spit in the sink and join him in my room.

"So, how am I going to be coached today?" I ask grumpily. Hephaestus pulls out a napkin with pen marks all over it.

"Gloss wants to work with you on your attitude and the general content until lunch. I'll take you after that and work on presentation. You are to wear this outfit at all times. Well, probably only a little while. Erosa is still working on your dress." He tells me, and guides me out of my room and down to the living quarters. Cato is probably working in his quarters. I sit alone until Gloss finally arrives.

"Hello, gentle one." He jokes, taking a seat across from me. "Ready to play pretend?" I snort and cross my arms defensively.

"I don't plan on it."

"Well, too bad. Now, since there's twice the amount of tributes this year, Caesar wants to interview you in groups. I'll be going with Enobaria, Brutus, and Cashmere. Cato, Glimmer, Marvel, and yourself will be going first as a group. Cato's already taken the vicious card, sexy is the only angle in Glimmer's arsenal, and Marvel's a charmer. What's your personality, little girl?"

I think for a while before answering, "Isn't that what you're supposed to be working on?"

Gloss laughs and orders a cocktail from an avox.

"Let's start with mysterious. Answer all the questions I give you in your most mysterious personality. Okay, sweetie?"

I'm growing tired of the nicknames, but I nod and stare at him with a face void of emotion.

"So, Clove, what's your new game strategy?" he inquires.

_Be. Mysterious. Say. Nothing._

"If I told you, I'd have to kill everyone who heard." I reply.

"That, dear, is pathetic." Gloss takes a sip of his cocktail and poses another question. "What's it like to be back from the dead?"

"It's been quite lively."

Apparently, my response is so sickening that he actually spits out a bit of his drink.

"No! That was murder to my sense of humor! God, can I get another cocktail?"

The next three hours are torture.

Sexy, funny, and charming fail miserably. I can't crack a joke or think up a pun without a wince and order for another beverage from Gloss. Vicious works well, but I'm told that we need a different personality from everyone in the group. Mysterious has already been eliminated, but Gloss has me try again. By the time we get to courageous, brave, and selfless, I'm practically working by myself. The alcohol has wrecked Gloss's mind, so I join Brutus, Enobaria, and Cato for lunch.

We eat awkwardly. Cato and I sneak peeks of Enobaria in a dress, then glance at each other and try to stifle laughs. I'm barely finished with my strawberries when Hephaestus pulls me into my room and begins drilling me for presentation.

"Sit up straight. Small smile- no, not that small! Too big! Too small! Juuust right… okay, now turn your head towards Caesar! I mean, where Caesar will be! For the love of God…"

I adhere to his wishes reluctantly. At one point, Hephaestus gets so frustrated that he forces me to do fifty push-ups in my heels (then starts swearing when he sees the sweat).

"Give me a twirl! Now keep your head in front of you for as long as you can, then whip it around really fast! Nice! Arms out, chin up! _I said up_! Slight grin! No, scratch that. Let me see you walk in those heels. Hmm, let's see if there's a pair of shorter heels… here, twirl in these. Let me see you walk in them. Perfect. Let's get that dress- no, you stay here."

My prep team (Erosa, Neffer, and Kion) comes in to do my makeup. I get heavy black eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. Neffer tries to put pink lipstick on me, but Erosa points out how I'm supposed to have a darker look. Kion shoves Neffer out of the way and does the lipstick himself. Erosa leaves to find Hephaestus. They return bearing white gown with a ribbon around the waist and black lace above it. There's a black trim at the bottom, and I can't help but feel as if it's an improvised wedding dress.

"Don't spin in this." Neffer warns as I stare at myself in the mirror. She opens a jewelry box and rummages through for a necklace. "Actually, save it for the very end. And make sure that the eyes are on you."

"And stay away from your friends when you do start twirling." Hephaestus adds. He places something in his pocket and nods to Erosa.

"Alright, everything looks good, so- _the hair! The hair!" _Erosa screams in terror. Neffer is scrambling over her own feet while Kion trips over a table to get to the pins and ties. The three manage to place my messy hair in a bun.

"Let's go, go, go!" Erosa commands. She and Hephaestus lead me down to the elevator. The interviews take place right beside the living quarters. It's a feat to run in my heels, but I manage to stumble into the waiting line just as Caesar is being introduced. Glimmer is snarling something at Cato while Gloss, Cashmere, and Marvel are laughing their heads off.

"Hey!" I call. Hephaestus squeezes my hand.

"_Save the twirling." _He whispers, and leaves with Erosa. Enobaria and Brutus motion for me to join them in line. Cato eyes my dress and lets out a low whistle.

"Shush!" Glimmer hisses. Caesar finally gets the audience to calm down.

"_Now, please welcome to the stage… Glimmer Charmant and Marvel Bronzeman of District 1… and Clove Rosewood and Cato Thorne of District 2!"_

"Go." Orders a nearby peacekeeper. Glimmer plasters a smile on her face and struts out on stage. As soon as she's ten paces away, the peacekeeper sends Marvel out. My hands start shaking. I've never liked speaking in front of people. A rough hand shoves me forward, and I stumble towards the stage.

Marvel and Glimmer are seated on a short sofa. After shaking Caesar's hand and nodding to the crowd, I sit next to Marvel. Cato joins us on stage shorty after I've been welcomed.

"Well… haha! Well, folks, we have your legendary four, here! Now, Let's start with Miss Charmant. What was it like in that arena?" Caesar asks.

"It was intimidating at worst." Glimmer laughs and ruffles her purple dress. "I think that arena was a really great battlefield. Very easy to work in."

"Now, are you back for revenge or back for life?"

"I'd say that I'm back for both. There's no stopping me this time!"

Caesar laughs and turns to Marvel.

"Marvel… I think that we were all a little disappointed that you weren't here in the victor's chair!" Caesar comments. Some of the crowd cheers. I see a bit of a blush creep into Marvel's cheeks. He chuckles and looks at the ground. Before he can do anything stupid (like stutter), I smile and pat his back. Marvel looks back at Caesar Flickerman and shrugs.

"Well, I guess I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, now, am I?" The crowd laughs.

"Ah, well, what do you think about having twice as many competitors as usual?"

Now I know that Marvel's inner jokester is back. He straightens and grins.

"I don't know… they'll be twice as idiotic as usual… so I guess I have a twice as good chance at winning.

Laughter. More laughter. Turning eyes. Turning eyes focusing on me.

"Clove, Clove, Clove… I think everyone here shed a tear over your death, didn't we, folks?" Caesar questions the crowd. I glance out at them with my best 'I'm better than you' look. Everyone murmurs their assent.

"Tell us what you were thinking when you were calling for Cato."

Cato… hmmm. I'm not sure what to say about Cato. We've been friends for years, but neither of us has ever crossed the line.

"I was just thinking that I was about to die… and I hoped that Cato would save me." I reply.

Awws. Sniffles.

"And I also think that we'd like to know your new strategy."

I can feel Gloss's semi-drunken eyes fixated at the screen while he laughs his head off.

"I think that I held back during the last games. This time, I'll be five times as vicious."

On to Cato.

I tune out what Cato's saying (killing this, revenge that) and focus on Caesar. I have to give him credit for making every tribute's night mare somewhat easier to deal with.

"The tributes of One and Two, ladies and gentlemen! Glimmer Charmant, Marvel Bronzeman, Cato Thorne, and Clove Rosewood! Ha, ha, ha!"

I stand up with my allies. Then, as if my eyes were magnetically attracted to him, I spot Hephaestus.

_Twirl._

"If I may, Caesar, my stylist has given me a special dress." I interrupt.

The entire audience quiets and waits. Marvel's hands dart to his pockets suspiciously, but I step forward and begin to twirl.

The dress burns.

No, it doesn't burn, but the hems burn so bright that they blind me. Shrieks resound off the wall. My white gown has burned away, leaving a frilly black one in its place.

But Hephaestus still isn't done. The dress glows again and transforms into a shining yellow dress. The light slowly fades to a constant glow. Hephaestus has outdone himself. He has turned me into a shining piece of gold, straight from the forges of District 2.

"It's brilliant!" Caesar exclaims. I grin and nod as the crowd stands to applaud.

"It's amazing." Now it's Marvel talking, but I can't see him anywhere around me, I finally spot him kneeled on the ground, holding out a black box…

…with a ring inside.

My mind has gone blank, and I can barely process thought. _Is this real or not real? Marvel is proposing._

"Clove Rosewood. I think that it's taken me too long to realize that I love you. If I die tomorrow, then I can at least die knowing that you love me or not. Will you please, _please _marry me?"

Damn him. Damn everyone who knew. I try to choke out a response, Caesar and the crowds are beside themselves. A few people are screaming for me to say yes.

"Uh, yeah." I whisper. _Not loud enough. _"Yes."

Marvel stands up and slides the ring on my finger. It's pure silver, with no fancy diamonds. My parents used to forge jewelry for the capitol. I smile and wrap my arms around the boy I've only spoken to a few times.

"You may kiss the bride!" Caesar jokes. Marvel takes this a little too literally and kisses me on the lips. My natural instinct is to run away, but I saty frozen to the spot. This is all part of a plan. I know that there must've been some sort of idea formed between the Marvel and the mentors.

Knowing that I'll be dead again in a few days, I kiss him back.

.

**Oh my God! What will happen next? Stay tuned! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Leaving

**Danke, danke, danke! The games start this chapter! Woohoo!**

**A huge thanks to the reviewers/followers! **

**As a general note: My story 'Kissing Death' is the prequel to this. **

**.**

I can't stay focused to the interviews, so I imagine killing Gloss.

It has to be his plan. There's no way that someone can form a plan this devious without some sort of grudge against me. While our mentors are out on stage, Glimmer, Cato, Marvel and I sit on the ground and wait. Glimmer starts a game with Cato called 'Truth'. One person asks a question and the other answers as truthfully as they can. Glimmer starts.

"What's your favorite month?"

"August. What's your least favorite month?"

"September. Worst habit?"

"I bite the inside of my lip when I'm agitated. Favorite animal?"

"Cardinal. Second favorite weapon aside from swords or spears?"

"Axes. Pet peeve?"

The game continues for a torturous four minutes. Cashmere is the first to appear backstage. She runs up to me and clasps my hands in her perfectly manicured ones.

"Sweetie, you were brilliant! Congratulations!" The blonde says. I smile and nod while trying not to throw up. Gloss appears next, followed by Enobaria and Brutus. Everyone starts heading to the living quarters soon after. Cashmere and Glimmer walk in front, discussing their dresses. Cato, Brutus, and Enobaria follow them in silence. Gloss staggers in front of me. To my left is Marvel, who keeps trying to make conversation.

"That's five. You three have to wait." A peacekeeper snaps as I try to make my way onto the elevator. Marvel, Gloss, and I groan and watch our five other allies disappear behind thick metal doors.

"I need to talk to you." I tell Marvel. A look of pure terror crosses his face. _Ding._

"On." The peacekeeper commands. I resist the urge to kill him with his own arrogance and step into the elevator. The moment the doors close, I have Gloss pinned against the wall.

"You son of a bitch! It was all your damn plan! You were using me! I've only spoken to this guy, like, three times!" I shriek hysterically. Marvel grabs me by the waist and pulls me away from the laughing mentor.

"Three times? You sure about that?" Gloss snorts. I glare daggers at him.

"Once in training, twice in the arena!"

"When in the arena, sweetheart?"

"When we were by the river and when Firebomb blew up our stuff."

Gloss breaks down in drunken giggles. "Redo your math! Idiot! Remember when he was dying and you kissed him?"

Marvel and I stare at him blankly. "What?"

Gloss's laughter fades and becomes a worried stare. "Um, you went to find him when he got shot by Firebomb… and you said you loved him, then you kissed him, and then he died. You don't remember that?"

I search my mind for a memory, but I come up blank.

"That never happened, Gloss." Marvel mumbles carefully. _Ding._

"Well, thank God! It was getting awkward in here!" the mentor sighs, and walks off to his room.

"Come with me." Marvel suggests, and guides me to Glimmer's room. He knocks cautiously. When there's no reply, He opens the door and locates the closet.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hiss. He throws a night dress and a cardigan towards me and doubles back to his room.

"Get dressed." He replies. I roll my eyes, close the door, and throw on the clothes. When I'm done, I venture out into the kitchen. The avoxes are cleaning up from dinner. One of them glances at me curiously. I take a steak knife and walk back to Marvel, who's waiting in his pajamas.

"Where to?" I grin as we hop back on the elevator.

"You'll see."

"Well, I better, unless you're gonna kill me in here."

"Didn't plan on it." Marvel grins as the doors open and reveal a wide open roof. The Capitol stretches for almost as far as I can see, then is replaced by mountains.

"What did you want to talk about?" I ask. We lean against the railing and gaze down on the luxurious city.

"I was gonna ask the same question."

My mind is on hyperactive mode. What do I say? What do I do? I've never been good with talking to boys.

"How about we each ask the other person one thing and the other person has to answer as truthfully as possible." I suggest. The curly haired boy nods and smiles.

"I'll start. What did you think when I proposed?" Marvel starts.

"I got really scared. I've never really had any admirers." I admit. "Whose plan was it?"

"Mine." Marvel chuckles and looks at the city beneath us. "Sorry. So… what's your favorite thing about me?"

_Ha! You have to compliment someone, Clove!_

"Your sense of humor." I say. "Favorite thing about me?"

"Your ability to find a fight inside of you when there's nothing left. Favorite color?"

"Oh, this is a hard one." I've never really had a 'favorite color'. At home, we're accustomed to the bronzes, golds, silvers, and other metallic tones. My parents were- _are_- goldsmiths. "Gold, but not capitol gold. Real gold. Like water in a sunset or a wedding ring or the little flecks in your eyes."

Oh, _damn it. _Did I just say that?

"So you've been paying close attention to my eyes?"

"No- I mean, yeah, but- no, I meant- yup." I sigh in defeat. Marvel laughs.

"So, as eyes go… were they quite marvelous?"

"If Gloss was here, he'd be ordering a drink and telling you how bad your joke is." I snort. "So what's your favorite color?"

"I like chocolate brown. It's like fresh dirt after a rain storm in spring. And mud puddles that my little brother loves to play in. And your eyes." Marvel replies. I try not to do something stupid like cry.

"I'd better get to bed. Games tomorrow." I yawn. We head back to the elevator and press the numbers for our floors. At the twelfth floor, the elevator stops and a redheaded girl gets on. She's not the girl from 5 who stole from us last year, but not the curly haired girl from 8 that Glimmer killed. I realize that she's from 9. A quick glance from Marvel tells me that she was one of his kills.

Oddly enough, she's excited to see us.

"I need to tell you two something." She presses a button that stops the elevator. My hands are itching for my steak knife.

"Go ahead…" Marvel mutters suspiciously.

"You're Clove Rosewood and you're Marvel Bronzeman. Hey, you killed me, didn't you? Never mind. I'm Bailey. District 9. Fourteen years old. Not a career, but you guys would never let me in anyway. The arena's gonna be really hot."

"_What?_" I ask. She shrugs.

"Well, our training outfits were tank tops and capris, right? And there was no swimming station like there was last year." She explains. The logic makes too much sense to be argued with.

"And…?" Marvel inquires.

"And I think that you'll need me to survive." Bailey hits the button, and stares at us as the elevator descends.

"Night." I call as she exits on her floor.

"Good luck!" she sings back. I wait until the doors have closed until talking again.

"I want her on the team."

"You're an idiot, Clove. Good idea."

The second floor is quiet when we arrive. Marvel walks me back to my room.

"Thanks, Marvel." I groan as I plop down on my bed.

"No problem. Get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow." He replies, and leaves me alone to fall into a dreamless sleep.

.

Morning comes too fast.

Hephaestus solemnly combs out my hair and washes it. Strangely, he decides to add in a streak of red. Not a word is spoken between Erosa, Neffer, and Kion. They give me some sort of black and grey jumpsuit to put on. After I've been clothed, they wish me farewell.

Three peacekeepers escort Hephaestus and me to the hovercraft. Hephaestus is taken to a separate area while I join the other tributes in the holding zone.

"Your tracker."

The girl from 4 winces as a woman injects the tracker into her arm. I hold out my arm early when she comes to me. A bit of blood gathers at the site of the injection, but I wipe it away with the sleeve of my jumpsuit.

Two hours is our travel time. At least it feels like that long. We're each guided out of the hovercraft by two guards. Something strange has to be going on. I see that the edge of Cato's hair has been dyed red. The same goes for Glimmer, Marvel, and our mentors.

"Come with us." Commands a peacekeeper. He and his partner take me out of the hovercraft and deposit me in a dark launch room.

I stare at the tube in horror. I'm about to die. Again. Is my family watching? Did the capitol even let them know that I'm back?

"I have something for you." Hephaestus says as he joins me in the room. From his pocket, he produces my engagement ring. "Do you need some water?"

"Yes, please." I sigh. A peacekeeper gets me a bottle of chilled liquid. If what Bailey says is true, this is the last cold drink I'll be having for a while.

_One minute to launch._

"This jumpsuit isn't thermal. I'd say that it's meant for water. Tropics, maybe? Definitely not anything that'll be cool." Hephaestus ponders, examining the suit.

_Thirty seconds to launch._

"Send me some sponsor stuff? Or get someone to send it? I can't survive on my own." I choke. Hephaestus nods and squeezes my shoulder reassuringly.

"You're a fighter. You'll be fine. Stick with your allies. Your real friends are the ones with blood dripping from their hair." He says.

_Fifteen seconds to launch._

I slip the engagement ring on my finger and step towards the tube (or my casket).

_Ten seconds to launch._

I step inside and the glass encircles me, closing me off from Hephaestus. Killer instinct is already filling my brain, knocking aside any other personality I store away.

_Five seconds to launch._

The metal plate lifts up, and my last vision of safety is Hephaestus scratching his nose. I'm in the tunnel for about three seconds until the sun blinds me. I blink several times before I see where I am.

Water laps at my ankles. To my right is Willow, and to my left is a large rock spoke. The cornucopia lies dead ahead with nothing but weapons inside. I turn around and examine what's behind me. There's a small beach, then a vast jungle. Not much to work with.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, let the 75__th__ Annual Hunger Games begin!" _Claudius Templesmith's voice resounds around the arena. There must not be much space. The countdown has already begun, and I tuck my loose hair behind my ears. Willow shoots me a nervous but determined look.

Ten seconds. I race through the list of ally options I have in my head. District 7 is definitely in. Maybe Bailey, too. Anyone close to Firebomb is too risky to be friends with. Damn, why didn't I talk to Brutus when I had the chance?

Five seconds. Four. Three. Two. One.

And then I'm diving into the water along with forty-seven people who want me dead.

.

**NEXT CHAPTER UP TOMORROW.**

**STAY TUNED.**


	6. Fighting

**Well, isn't this dandy! Two updates in one night! I'll be updating all weekend, so expect at least the 10****th**** chapter by Sunday.**

**I own nothing.**

**As always…**

**.**

I've never liked swimming. It's just one of those things that the trainers force upon you every year, and you hope you can live through it. Cleary, one of the more tolerable trainers, taught me the art of succeeding at something you hate. One of the first things we did was swim for eight hours every day. I've grown to hate and fail at swimming.

However, when you're swimming for your life and every person in the arena has a motive to kill you, it definitely boosts your strength.

I paddle over to the stone spoke and hoist myself up. The spoke doesn't look unstable or dangerous, so I start running towards the cornucopia. It takes me only a few seconds to sling a belt of knives over my waist. Glimmer comes running up behind me and snatches a sword. She spins it around and impales the male morphling addict from District 6. Firebomb is closing in on the cornucopia, so I toss a bow and a sheath of arrows towards Glimmer.

"Hold the cornucopia!" Enobaria commands. She climbs out of the water, grabs a few weapons, and dashes off to help Brutus fight Chaff. My hands feel unnecessarily empty, so I search for a weapon to use. Johanna Mason enters the cornucopia and overturns a few crates before locating a pile of axes.

"Here, kid!" she yells, and tosses me one. I grab it by the hilt and give a nod of thanks. Glimmer starts cursing.

"Dammit! There's only weapons, no supplies!" she growls. I look around the piles of weapons before realizing that she's right.

"Get as much stuff as you can!" I tell her. We pick over the pile as war rages on all around us. I'm just about to throw the remaining bows into the water when Firebomb hits me over the head with the hilt of a sword.

_Oh, here we go again. _

I whip a knife out of my belt and sink it into her thigh with a satisfying _thunk_. She gasps in pain and retreats.

"Haymitch! Take Prim and Peeta and get out of here!" she screams. The Drunk, who is about thirty feet away, nods and turns towards a pedestal where a scared blonde girl is hiding. Glimmer draws an arrow and fires at Firebomb's heart. It's knocked aside by the sword and hits her shoulder. Firebomb crawls back to a discarded bow and pile of arrows. Without hesitating, I start running towards her. She's too quick, and plunges into the water.

"Clove!" this time, it's Cato calling my name. I run back to him and Glimmer. "Watch my back, I'm gonna throw some of this stuff in the water."

I scan the area as Cato knocks aside bins of weapons. Enobaria and Brutus have finished their fight with Chaff, and have moved on to picking off the weaker tributes. Cashmere is slashing some poor mentor's face off, and Gloss has taken to protecting the right side of the cornucopia with Glimmer.

A tanned arm wraps around my neck and pushes me out into the water. I immediately recognize my attacker as Finnick Odair.

"Sorry, sweetie!" he says as he thrusts a trident towards my chest. I barely avoid it and swim towards another spoke. One of the younger tributes lodges a knife in my arm. I shriek in frustration and use a knife from my own belt to throw into his heart.

Over on the beach, a group of Katniss's fans huddle together. They're probably forming a plan. I count ten people. The two geek mentors from 3 and their male tribute, Finnick Odair, Mags, Rue, Loverboy, Primrose, the Drunk, and Firebomb herself. A few words are exchanged before they plunge into the jungle. I step up on a spoke only to be knocked down by the weapon-clad mentors. Brutus throws a small knife in my direction.

"Use it wisely!" he yells as they jump onto the beach to pursue Firebomb's alliance. There is way less people fighting, now. Johanna, Alder, Willow, and Johanna's mentor counterpart have already left the area. Glimmer and Cato are holding off the cornucopia, preventing any tributes from getting supplies. I get out of the water (again) and join them.

"-on the beach. The cornucopia's too closed off." Glimmer says just as I get in hearing range.

"Good idea. Go get some crates, we'll use those as protection." Cato replies. I look around. One of our allies is missing.

'Where's Marvel?" I ask curiously. The two turn to face me and bite their lips.

"Uh, I think he might've gone with Seven." Glimmer tells me. I stare at her in disbelief.

"He _what_?"

"Don't worry! He probably got confused. Now, come on. We have to move some of this junk." Glimmer trills in her nervous tone. I glare at her and pick up a crate.

"Wait for everyone to leave." Cato warns. We sit in the back of the cornucopia and observe the remainder of the battle. Chaff runs in to the jungle with the District 10 man on his heels. Bailey is one of the last to leave. She heads to the left of the cornucopia.

"I think it's clear." Glimmer whispers. We gather the crates and set up camp on the beach as close to the water as we can. There's a surplus of unused weapons from the cornucopia, so we pile up what we can use and toss the rest into the ocean (I don't know what else to call it). The sun is setting, but the temperature doesn't go down at all. Our only water source is the ocean water, which is salt, so we can't drink it.

"I'll build a fire to scare off the others." Glimmer volunteers. I chop down some wood with Johanna's axe and set it down near our camp. Cato clashes together two swords to make sparks. The fire is blazing along in a bit. Glimmer and Cato sit together and stare at the fire while I lie on my back and gaze at the sky.

"When are we going to hunt for Firebomb?" I ask.

"We're not. The mentors are following them. They're gonna try to lure Firebomb's little fan club out here so we can attack them. We're just supposed to hold the beach. Make things more crowded in the jungle." Cato explains. I make a sour face. "So they told you guys all this and not me?"

"Yeah, you were busy." Glimmer comments. "Like, weren't you getting stabbed?"

"Oh, yeah, that." I feel the cut on my shoulder. "It's not that bad."

"Keep an eye on it, then. I'm taking first watch." Cato interrupts. I hold a knife to my chest and sprawl out on the ground.

I don't stay asleep for long.

_DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG. DONG._

I swing out my knife arm and cough out sand.

"What the hell is that?" I mutter. A humming sound emanates from behind the cornucopia.

"Twelve dongs. Midnight?" Glimmer sighs and looks around. "Cato? Look there." She points to the sky. A swirl of clouds is mixing together, creating something that every child hates. Lightning.

It comes pounding down, but never leaves the area. I process it in my head suspiciously. Glimmer goes back to sleep.

"Well, if you're not gonna sleep… I will." Cato tells me. I hug my knees to my chest and gaze at the dying fire. After about an hour, I fall asleep.

But I'm woken up again an hour later. This time, there is no lightning. There's blood pouring out of the sky.

.

**It's a filler…**

…**sorry.**

**More tomorrow!**


	7. Choking

**What's gonna happen?**

**I don't know. Read on to find out!**

**Also: Here's a Glatoey chapter.**

**.**

Glimmer and Cato are still asleep. I cough up a mouthful of blood and roll on to my feet. Our fire has been wiped out, replaced by burned, bloody logs.

"Get into the jungle!" I scream. Cato is on his feet immediately, grabbing his sword and shaking Glimmer awake. Their blonde hair has been stained red with the thick rain. Glimmer turns around blindly, searching for her bow. I wipe the blood out of my eyes and pick up her weapon.

"Why are we going into the forest?" Cato asks.

"The trees, they'll give us cover." I explain. He nods, grabs Glimmer's wrist, and follows me into the trees.

The blood rain doesn't stop. It's like the trees are melting into the stupid liquid. I can't go five steps without having to wipe the stuff out of my eyes and spit it out of my mouth. Glimmer's hair is plastered to her face, and she has to tie it back with some strands of tall grass. Cato is gasping for air.

"_Alder, get the hell over here! Yes, you! Don't run into that tree- damn it…. Willow, get under those leaves! Not those, those! Stay there! Now where'd Blight go?"_

I stop in my tracks, causing my two friends to run into my back. The voice comes from Johanna Mason. I can tell that she probably has Willow and Alder. My mind puts together the logic and tells me that Blight is probably Johanna's mentor partner. And if what Cato and Glimmer say is true, then Marvel is robably with them.

"_Blight! Get over here! Good. Wait, where's… MARVEL, GET HERE RIGHT NOW!" _

"_Sorry, sorry. What's going on?"_

"_What's going on? We're choking on some God damn blood, that's what's going on! We have to get out of here. Willow, Alder, over here now! Now where'd Blight go again?"_

"_Marvel!" _I yell, and start tearing off towards the voices.

"_Clove?"_

"_Shut up, you idiot! It could be a trick! BLIGHT!"_

"Clove, hold up! We need to get out of the rain!" Glimmer calls after me. Cato catches up and drags me back to where Glimmer is crouching.

"How long has this rain been going on?" Cato asks. I shrug.

"Maybe… forty-five minutes? We were soaked when we woke up, so I's say that it's been close to an hour." I reply.

"Then why wasn't the whole beach soaked?" he growls. I shrug and stand up, spitting out some blood.

The rain stops.

"What…?" Glimmer shrieks. "All that running and it stops now-"

"_Clove!"_

"_Marvel, where are you?" _I scream, and start off towards his voice. Glimmer and Cato are on my heels, trying to stop me.

Just as they come into view, a massive gust of wind sweeps them away.

.

"Follow them!" I command. The force of the wind is pushing me backwards, but eventually, I'm swept into the swirling air.

I've seen wind storms before, and this is nothing like them. This one could blow a lake dry in three seconds flat. Trees are thrown into the sky. As my body is tossed around like a limp doll, I can make out the vague outlines of five people being thrown across the arena.

And then I'm falling. I thrash around wildly, trying to get a grip on something. Luckily, a large leaf breaks my fall. I hit the ground with a _thud_.

Glimmer and Cato collapse beside me. Glimmer is left lying awkwardly on top of Cato. She stands up quickly and apologizes.

"Where are we?" I mutter. Cato laughs and rolls his eyes. The smile disappears when he looks over my shoulder. Glimmer backs up and scans the area for her bow. Her quiver of arrows is still attached to her shoulder. Once she's located the weapon, I turn around slowly.

Ten faces stare back.

Glimmer's arrow fires first. Firebomb ducks and runs towards Glimmer. I pull out a particularly long knife and slash at Finnick Odair's face. A small cut appears on his face, and he swings his trident at my feet. Cato starts hacking at Peeta.

"Hey, there, sweetie." Says a familiar voice. Gloss shoves Finnick to the ground and kicks him in the neck. I grin and hand him one of my knives. Cashmere and the Drunk are already in an arm lock, knives pointed at each other's heads. Brutus joins Cato in battling Loverboy.

"Prim! Rue! Get away!" Katniss shouts. Glimmer has her bow pressed to Firebomb's throat, cutting off her windpipe. Loverboy escapes his fight to pry Glimmer off of Firebomb. Cato tries to stab Loverboy in the back, but Finnick dodges my knife and shoves him away.

_Fighting. Fighting. I am fighting. Do not think of Marvel. Do not think of Cato. Fighting. Fighting._

I'm swinging at Finnick for what seems like days. Cato has been beaten down by Peeta. Gloss steps in and starts pushing Peeta away from Firebomb and Glimmer, who are shrieking and tearing out each other's hair.

Then I hear a gurgled scream. _Cato? Gloss? Glimmer?_

No. My allies are safe. It's the old woman from 4, Mags. A huge vulture pulls its beak out of her neck and flies off. She collapses on a rock.

"Mags!" Finnick calls desperately. While he's turned, I bury a knife in his back.

"Haymitch! Get Prim and Rue! _Get out of here_!" Firebomb screams. She rolls out of Glimmer's grasp and tumbles down the slope to join the two little girls. I flick a knife in their direction. It ends up in Rue's thigh. Peeta comes bolting down past me. The Drunk follows him. They're gone before we can attack again.

"Look who I found!" Brutus calls. He drags the kicking bodies of the District 3 tributes out into view. Only the girl is missing.

"Tick tock. Tick tock," mutters the woman. Brutus digs his elbow into her chest. Enobaria raises her sword, but a flock of vultures flies in her way. The three tributes wriggle free of Brutus's grasp and are gone before the vultures can flap their wings again.

"Damn it. Come on!" Cashmere calls. She leads the three other mentors towards Katniss's path.

"Let's get away from these birds." Glimmer mutters. We tread back down to the shore. I count my new injuries. Five cuts, one stab, and thousands of scratches. Maybe a sprained wrist.

Music fills the arena.

We plop down on our crates and watch the faces appear in the sky. First to appear is the girl from 3. Following her is the kids from 4, Mags, the man and boy from 5, everyone but the woman from 6, all from 8, the mentors from 9, the kids and the woman from 10, and the woman from 11. There are nineteen dead and twenty-nine remaining.

Who is still alive? There's all four mentors, the younger careers, three from 3, Finnick Odair, The fox faced girl from 5 and her female mentor, the female morphling addict, all four from seven, Bailey and her male partner, the man from 10, Rue and Thresh, Chaff, and all from 12. Twenty-eight of them would be totally fine with killing me (maybe twenty-six, if I'm lucky).

I go back to sleep without another thought.

.

**Sorry.**

**It was a filler.**

**MORE ACTION NEXT CHAPTER. PLEASE STAY TUNED!**

**P.S. I'll be posting again tonight, twice tomorrow, and twice on Monday. If I can.**


	8. Reuniting

**Here's chapter 8!**

**IN THE NAME OF SUGAR CUBES, WE PROGRESS.**

**Sorry for the lack of Glato in the last chapter. I shall try harder.**

**.**

I wake to the sound of a cannon.

"Marvel?" I gasp. Cato sits up groggily.

"Probably not him. Go to sleep, Knives." He comments. My stomach argues.

''I'm hungry. Is there any food in this arena?" Glimmer says, echoing my thoughts. I nod in agreement. Cato shakes his head and twirls his machete over his head. We look at the sand as if it could burst into strawberries if we stare hard enough. After about seven thousand years (or maybe seven minutes), a few figures appear on the beach.

"Firebomb?" asks Glimmer. I squint and shake my head.

"No, that's Cashmere and Gloss." Cato tells her. We go running across the beach to meet our mentors.

"-tock! Next time I hear someone say that, I'll cut that person's head off!" Cashmere is screaming.

"Hey, I never said 'tick-tock'." Gloss protests. His sister swings her dagger at his head. He dodges out of the way and shoves her to the side.

"What's happening?" I sigh. Enobaria digs her sword into the sand and collapses. Brutus runs a hand over his head.

"Woman from Six jumped in front of this snake to save Loverboy's life. Dead. Firebomb and her friends are at the edge of the jungle. They're planning to attack us." He explains.

"_And that woman will NOT stop saying tick tock!" _shrieks Cashmere. She starts sobbing and lies down on the ground.

"Tick tock?" Glimmer snorts. The words have to make sense. Even though the woman is far from what I'd want as an ally, she's from Three. District 3 is the home of pretty much every genius in Panem. And aside from Bailey (maybe), the tributes from 3 are as smart as it gets.

"Tick tock…" I mutter. Cashmere glares daggers at me. _Tick tock… tick tock…_

Maybe it's something to do with the fact that our days are numbered. Yes, tick tock means that we don't have much time left.

"Hey, where's your water supply?" Enobaria asks. Cato looks at the sand sheepishly.

"We don't have one." He mutters. Our mentors stare in disbelief.

"There's no damn water in this arena! We can't just conjure some up out of thin air!" I yell. Cato punches me in the side to make me shut up.

"Then get some sponsors." Cashmere insists. I groan in frustration and walk back to our crates. Glimmer follows me, but everyone else stays behind.

"Um, Clove? Before our privacy is totally gone, can we talk?" she whispers.

"There's no privacy, it's the arena." I snap "But sure, go ahead."

"Would it be okay- I mean, I was wondering if- you wouldn't get mad at me if- um… I sorta… like… Cato… and I was wondering if that was okay with you. I mean, you've known him the longest." Glimmer gulps nervously. I laugh quietly.

"Well, that was unexpected. Go ahead. But…" I look around to see if anyone's listening. "he _hates _weak girls. You have to be strong. Like, no whining, no piggy back rides, you know. Be decisive."

"Oh?" Glimmer nods. I search my mind for more information.

"Cato really likes girls with messy hair. He loves to snuggle and play with girls' hair. Don't kiss him on the cheek, he hates it. Full on or nothing." I mumble. She glares at me suspiciously.

"How do you know all this?" she asks.

"Friendly little crossing of the line back when I was twelve. Lasted for about two weeks. We thought we'd be better off as friends." I explain. "Don't bring it up around him."

"Thanks, Clove." Calls Glimmer as she runs back to Cato and the others.

_What time is it? _I sneak a glimpse at the sun. It's barely up, so the time is most likely around six o'clock. Some sort of buzzing sound is coming to the right of where our mentors came from. My clothes and skin are still coated in blood, so I trudge down to the water to clean myself off.

"Ahh!" I hiss. The salt seeps into my wounds and sears my leg. I splash out of the water. "Damn it…"

"_Aieeeeeee!"_

"_Shut the hell up! Grab a tree!"_

My head whips around, trying to spot the sources of the voices. The buzzing has stopped, but mud has begun to pour out on the shore… only it stays within two spokes in the water.

"_Blight! Grab the tree- oh, God. Let go!"_

Blight. The mentor from District 7. Johanna's partner. And if he's with Johanna, then Marvel has to be tagging along.

"_Alder, let go of the tree! Yes, let go! OW! That's my foot, you son of a bitch!"_

"_Sorry, I'm a little busy getting killed here!"_

"_Shut up, One! Willow, grab a vine!"_

"Marvel!" I'm up on my feet immediately. "_Marvel_!"

"_That was Clove!"_

"_Shut up! We're a little busy getting killed here! Alder, get out elbow out of my ribs!"_

Five bodies are washed out on the shore as the mud retreats. The first to get up is Johanna. At least I think she's Johanna. Yep. A closer look shows the axe clutched in her hand.

"Willow, do a head check." He commands. A mud soaked girl nods and counts up the members of the group.

"I am _never _going to think of mud the same way." This voice has to belong to Marvel. I stumble towards the mud.

"Marvel!" my voice is croaky from screaming. One of the mud people turns around and looks straight at me.

"Clove?"

I break out into a run. Marvel drops his spears and scoops me up in his arms.

As a side note- _never _kiss someone with mud and blood on their lips.

How long am I kissing Marvel? A few hours? Days? I can't really tell. When I finally manage to pull myself away from him, I slam my boot into his gut.

"OW!" he yelps, and falls to his knees. "Dammit, dammit, dammit…"

"You idiot! Why'd you go off with Seven? You worried me to death, I thought you died! I hate you!" I growl. Marvel coughs and regains his composure.

"Gloss told me to go with them- allies!" he says. I roll my eyes and offer him a hand up. We catch up with everyone else over by the crates.

"- and she kept muttering 'tick tock'. Any idea what that means?" Enobaria is asking. Johanna shoots a glance at Willow.

"I don't know. Maybe she means that there's a new danger every second?" Willow suggests.

_New danger every second. _The blood rain lasted about an hour. Then there was the windstorm. Then, after a while, the vultures started attacking. Just now, the mudslide came though… but it only stayed between two spokes.

Spokes? Are they really spokes?

It's funny, my mind muses, that there are twelve little wedges between the spokes. It's funny that every hour, there seems to be a new threat. And then it all comes together.

"Oh." I say. "Tick tock. This is a clock."

.

**Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!**


	9. Remembering

**To be honest, I'm afraid to update because I know that people don't like this story. **

**So if I take a while, I'm probably sitting in my bed and feeling awful about myself.**

**Chapter 9 for those (none) of you who want it.**

**.**

"A clock?" Blight asks. I nod and point to the section where the blood rain was.

"Right there was the blood rain. After an hour, there was that huge windstorm." I move my finger to the next wedge. "Two hours after that, the vultures attacked. Brutus, what did you say happened?"

"The woman from Six got attacked by these weird snake mutts." He reminds me.

"Yeah, so then after that there was this buzzing noise. And then when the buzzing ended, the mudslide began. And if the dongs signaled midnight… the tail of the cornucopia points to the twelve to one o'clock section." I explain. Gloss gives me a high five.

"And each of them only stays in their section!" Alder adds. "So at midnight and noon, there's a lot of lightning." He draws a circle in the sand and sections it into twelve slices. Cashmere uses a knife to write _lightning _into one of them.

"Um… was the blood at one? Or two?" Enobaria wonders. Johanna counts the wedges from the twelve to one to the section we're in.

"Two." She tells us. Cashmere fills in the section with _blood_.

"And then at three, there was a windstorm. We don't know what's in four. Vultures are in five. Snake mutts are in six. Some sort on insect in seven. Mudslide in eight. And in nine…" Cashmere puts an X in that wedge.

"Okay, then we don't know what's in one, four, seven, nine, ten, or eleven. Any others?" I ask. Nobody replies.

"We should split up and watch one of the sections. There are twelve people here, so we can each guard one. And then we'll meet up in the cornucopia to eat and sleep." Gloss suggests. Mostly everyone murmurs their assent.

"And since the lightning at noon and midnight only stays in one area, should the person guarding that wedge try to collect food? The people in eleven and one can watch their section." Cato adds.

"There'll probably be some oysters or fish in the water, so the best swimmer should guard twelve." I say.

"I'll do it." Johanna volunteers. She jogs off towards her wedge.

"For anyone who's in a section that we haven't identified, be careful. Stay on the beach so that we can help you if we have to. Any takers for one?" I ask.

"I can do that." Blight says.

"I'll take two and Alder can take three." Willow adds.

"Get out of three when the hour comes. The wind will get you." Cato warns. Alder laughs.

"Yeah, I know." He replies. I remember how he, his partners, and Marvel got swept away when it turned three.

"I'm gonna take six." Cashmere huffs. Gloss flashes five fingers and trots off.

"Eight." Marvel says. Glimmer takes ten and Cato takes eleven. That leaves four, seven, and nine. Enobaria calls seven. I head off to nine, leaving Brutus with four.

I lie in the sand as the invisible hands tick tock closer to my section. Johanna has a small pile of oysters already collected.

"Clove, can we talk?" It's Marvel again. I shrug and scoot over to the edge of my section. Marvel takes my bloody hand and turns it over. The silver ring is still attached, glued on by my sweat. To my surprise, he slips the ring off of my hand and tosses it out into the jungle.

"What-"

"I'm sorry. Well, not really. But I know that you don't want to get married." He explains. I punch him in the shoulder. Then I remember that I'm supposed to be in love.

"Um- I kinda meant it when I said yes." I mumble. Marvel rolls his eyes and clasps my hand in his.

"It was stupid. I didn't even get your dad's permission or whatever."

"I'm sure he doesn't care. He's been gone for about six years. Died from a heart attack after the sixty-ninth games." I sigh.

"God, that's awful! I'm so sor-"

"Don't. So what's your family like?" I ask.

"Hmm… My mother's a perfumer. Dad's a jeweler. I have a little brother named Max. He was born with some weird sickness. It costs half my family's income to keep him alive every month. That's why I volunteered. We were running out of money." Marvel says. "Your family?"

"My mother is the head of the east quarry. My little sister, Renee, is ten. She was born the week after my dad died." I tell him.

"Is she training?"

"Yeah. Started four years ago. She's the best archer in her age division."

"What does she look like?"

"She looks like a cardinal. She got my mom's red hair and my dad's dark eyes. She's really skinny and really pale."

I don't know why I'm saying all of this. I'm about to stand up when the unseen hands of the arena clock tick tock into my wedge.

"_Clove!"_

"Renee!" I spring up and turn in circles. "Where are you?"

"_Clove, help me!" _The voice is coming from the forest. Despite Marvel's protests, I duck into the trees. My little sister's voice is surrounding me, haunting me, screaming for my help.

"_Clove, please! Please help!"_ Now the voice is Cato's. Someone comes up behind me. I whip out a knife, then see that it's Glimmer.

"Clove, what the hell are you-"

"_Glimmer, help!" _Glimmer's body goes rigid in fear. Cato is screaming for both of us in some sort of pained tone that I've never heard before.

"_Clove! Save me! Please!" _I'm running again. The voice switches between Renee, Cato, my mother, my father, my friends Kalia and Makenzie, Glimmer, and Marvel. All in pain. Being tortured. And then I see the flash of a wing.

"_Clove, you have to help me!" _the bird screeches in Makenzie's voice. More and more of the winged creatures start surrounding me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Johanna, Willow, and Marvel trying to keep up with Glimmer and me.

"It's not them!" I tell Glimmer. "It's just jabberjays!"

Glimmer starts to sob. "Then where did they get those noises?"

_No_. The capitol wouldn't touch Kalia and Makenzie. They don't even know that we're friends. But the birds go on howling in agony. Glimmer spots Cato and runs towards him. She's about five feet away when she hits an invisible barrier. I lose control of my feet and slam into the same force field. Marvel is on the other side, trying to tell me that everything's okay, but I clamp my hands over my hears and scream.

"_Clove, pleaseeeeeeee…" _Kalia being burnt.

"_Help me! Clove!" _my father being whipped.

"_It hurts, Clove!" _Renee being beaten.

"_Clove, I thought you loved me!" _Marvel getting stabbed.

"_Make them stop it, Clove, it's terrible!" _Cato being slashed.

"_Please help! Clove, help me!" _Makenzie being electrocuted.

"_You have to help, Clove!" _my mother getting shot.

They all scream, whimper, beg, and plead for my help. How long does an hour last? It only changed a few minutes ago. I dig my fingernails into my skull until blood stains my fingers. Glimmer is curled up in a little ball, crying and choking. My mind is churning though a sea of pain.

And then I've zoned away from the birds, back to the day when my father died.

"_Clove, can you get me those plates?"_

"_Yes, mother." I hopped up on a chair and opened a cabinet. "The wooden ones or the granite ones?"_

"_The granite ones, dear."_

_I grabbed the plates and carefully placed the on the table. Little Renee toddled over to the table and began to tug on our mother's skirt._

"_Yes, Renee?"_

"_Daddy has to go somewhere." She said. My father came into the room with three packages. Mother smiled and dusted off her apron._

"_Presents for everyone!" Father announced. I giggled with glee._

"_Daddy, it's not even Christmas!" I squealed. Father shrugged and handed Renee a box. She tore it open and pulled out a tiny potted plant._

"_Oh, that's a chrysanthemum!" I said. Renee hugged Father and ran to put the plant in a windowsill._

"_Thank you, daddy!" she called over her back._

"_Here's a little something for my beautiful wife." Father kissed Mother and gave her a box. Mother received a gold necklace._

"_Thank you, Korbin." She smiled. Father knelt down and handed me the last box. Inside was a carved piece of wood small enough to fit on someone's thumb. Father dug a piece of twine out of his pocket and strung it through a hole in the carving._

"_For you, Clover. A little flower." He said. I kissed him on his stubbly cheek and put the new carving around my neck._

"_Well, I have to go meet Aro in the west quarry. Then I'm meeting with the trainers about getting Renee a spot in the academy. Love you, Orielle. Love you, Clove. Love you, Renee." Father sighed. He opened the door, zipped up his coat, and disappeared._

"_Mother, what kind of flower is this?" I asked. Mother looked at the flower on the necklace and grinned._

"_That's a clove, my little sunflower. So as long as you have yourself, you'll never be alone." She said._

Little sunflower becomes _"Clove, please!"_ I claw at the ground and start to sob.

"_Clove! Help me, you have to help me!"_

When will this end? When will this end? I feel as if my voice should be amongst the jabberjays, begging for help. When will this end? When will this end? I slam my head against the barrier, hoping to knock myself out.

_Real or not real? I am going insane._

"Clove! The hour is up! Shh, shh, it's fine!" I'm woken up by Marvel's hand on my shoulder. To our right, Glimmer is crying into Cato's shoulder.

"T-they were h-h-hurting R-re-renee! A-and Kalia and Mak-k-kenzie! And my mother and my f-father! They hurt C-cato and G-g-glimmer! They hurt you." I choke. Marvel strokes my hair and shushes me quietly.

"They didn't hurt us, Clove. Remember what happens when a tribute makes it to the final eight?"

"I forget!"

"They interview the tributes' families. That's where they got the voices of your friends and your family."

"B-but what about you?"

"They could've gotten my voice from the last games. Same with Cato and Glimmer."

"And my father?"

Marvel think a while before answering. "If he ever visited a peacekeeper or a political place, he might've been recorded on security cameras. Don't cry, we're all okay. You're gonna be okay."

"I'm gonna kill them." I say, and look at the sky. "I'll kill all of them."

.

**Next chapter to come tomorrow. Stay tuned.**


	10. Healing

**Here's 10.**

**Stay tuned for more.**

**.**

"I want her dead." Snow said contemplatively. "She has become as influential as Katniss Everdeen. I want her ripped apart for this nation to see."

Plutarch Heavensbee shook his head and smiled.

"Let the games do their work. As her friends die, she'll lose it." He replied. The president stared at the screen where a blonde haired girl was throwing up in the sea. Plutarch's communicator buzzed.

"_Sir. The situations in Districts Two and Seven have become severe."_

"If I may, President, I will join you for lunch. Excuse me."

Heavensbee walked out of the lounge to observe the gamemakers. All of them were focused on a small group of tributes in the mouth of the cornucopia. One gamemaker glanced up at him worriedly.

"District One Female A is losing vital signs." She called.

"Okay, zoom me in, Fulvia."

"Yes, sir." The gamemaker tapped on her display. Up on a larger screen, the girl who was throwing up started convulsing in little spasms. Plutarch frowned.

"Keep them occupied, Fulvia. I have to go sort out some priorities."

.

"Glimmer!" I scream. "Cato, get over here!" Glimmer starts shaking uncontrollably. Willow is the first person to arrive, axe in hand. She takes Glimmer's wrist and feels for a pulse.

"Open your mouth." Willow commands. Glimmer weakly parts her lips.

"She's dehydrated. We need a lot of water and some sort of drug." I stare at Willow.

"We don't have any water." I say.

"Yeah, but they do." Enobaria mutters. We look up at the sky.

"Hey! We need something from you, Hephaestus!" I yell. "A little bit of water would be nice!"

"Come on, get her in the shade. She's overheated, too." Willow orders. She and Cato move Glimmer into the back of the cornucopia.

"What else, Doctor Willow?" asks Cato.

"Don't call me that. I will knock you into tomorrow. Um… take her boots off and as much of that jumpsuit as possible." Willow instructs. Cato looks a little too happy to be handed the task.

"Use this." Cashmere hands Cato one of her daggers. He cuts away most of Glimmer's suit until she's practically in shorts and a t-shirt. Brutus runs out to the jungle and gets a few giant leaves.

"Start fanning her with these." He suggests. Alder and Johanna take the leaves and blow cool air at Glimmer's face. No parachutes appear. Willow bites her lip in dismay.

"There's no way we can get her better without water. I'd say that if we don't get some within the next… like, five minutes, she has about… ten minutes to live." She explains. It's funny how fast the silver parachute comes tumbling out of the sky. Lots of people betting on Glimmer to win are probably concerned about their money.

"Open it. Now." Enobaria says. Willow catches the parcel and opens it with trembling hands. Inside is a tiny bottle of water, little syringe filled with some sort of medicine, and a metal tube. She tosses the water to Cato, who pours some in Glimmer's mouth. Willow studies the medicine for a minute.

"This'll do the trick." She mutters, and stabs the syringe into the back of Glimmer's neck. After a minute or two, she's already dozing off.

"How'd you learn to do that?" Cato asks. Willow shrugs.

"I actually paid attention during training. And I visited the survival stations, which is something that almost everyone here forgot to do." She says, and tosses around the metal tube. "I'd guess that this is a spile."

"What's a spile?" Marvel interrupts. Willow rolls her eyes.

"You're good for nothing, brainless. You use a spile to tap trees for sap. But since we're in a moister climate, all these trees are probably loaded with water. Alder, go get some water." She says. Alder grabs the spile and jogs off.

"We should rest for a while. Cato, you stay with Glimmer. I'll take the east." Enobaria volunteers. Brutus takes west, Johanna takes south, and Cashmere takes north. Willow stays with Cato and Glimmer. Gloss, Marvel, Blight, and I wander the beach.

"_Aaaaahhh!"_

"Alder?" I call. Willow says something to Cato and joins me on the shore.

"I think he went that way." She tells me. We run in Alder's direction until we find him in a small clearing.

_Boom._

The boy from District 3 falls on the ground limply. Alder pulls the axe out of the boy's chest.

"Alder, what's going-" Willow starts. A woven net falls from a tree and pins us to the ground. There are little rocks at the edge that hold the net down. Alder looks up at the tree and throws his axe.

"Eep!" There's a small squeal, flash of auburn, and then Bailey is scrambling away from Alder's axe.

"Stop!" I yell. Alder pauses and stares at me. I look back at the redhead. "Bailey?"

"Oh, hello." Bailey snaps. "Can you tell your friend to not kill me, please?" I glare at Alder. He drops his axe sheepishly. Willow snatches a knife out of my belt and cuts us out of the net.

"Hey, Bailey! Come on, we have some water." Willow says. She and Bailey trot off to the cornucopia. Alder and I follow them quietly.

"Clove, look out!"

Something- someone- slams into me. Before I can react, some sort of sharp sword pierces my chest. Willow and Bailey are too far away, so I start screaming. The massive figure slams me against a tree. Now I can see who my attacker is. Thresh.

Alder swings his axe towards Thresh's side, but Thresh sidesteps and sweeps out his sword arm. Alder's throat bursts open, and his cannon goes off. I try to get away, but Thresh has me pinned to the tree. _Damn it. Alder's dead. Willow will kill me. And one of our stronger allies is gone. He was growing on me._

"Here we are again." He growls. "Stay dead, this time, will you?" I spit in his face.

"Marvel! _Marvel_!" I scream. Thresh grins.

"Forget it, Two. Your time's up." He says, and connects his fist with my jaw. Little black spots form in front of my eyes. His fists tighten around my neck. I make some sort of gurgling sound. _I'm going to die again. No one is here to help me. _

"Not today."

And that's when I see the tip of the spear poking out of Thresh's chest. He collapses just as his cannon goes off. I slide to the ground and spit out some blood.

"Need a hand up?" Marvel offers. I nod and grasp his hand.

"Thanks." I'm almost crying again. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I can't even save my own life.

"Hey, it's okay. Let's go get you some water." suggests Marvel. We walk back down to the cornucopia where everyone's drinking their heads off. My side starts to hurt, and I realize that the wound Thresh inflicted is gushing blood.

"Willow? Can you come see this?" I ask. She nods and inspects the wound.

"Yikes. You'll need stitches. I'd say… about ten. I'll need… hmm… a needle, some medical thread, some cloth, and antiseptic. Anesthesia if we're lucky. Got all that?" she says. I cross my fingers, hoping for the anesthesia. A tiny parachute lands at my feet. Willow opens it.

"You're in luck. We have the needle, some thread, and a decent dose of anesthesia." She laughs spiritlessly. "Come on, get your boyfriend. This is going to be hard."

"Marvel! Your girlfriend wants you!" Johanna calls. Marvel comes over and stares at the little needle in Willow's hands.

"Um, what the hell are you doing?"

"You two are going to listen to every single thing I say, or so help me, I will cut your heads off. _Johanna, get me a leaf. _Marvel, when I tell you to grab something for me, you grab it. No questions asked. Understood?" Willow barks. Marvel nods.

"Understood, ma'am."

"Good. Clove, this medicine might make you a little- weird. You might say things that you'd never say any other time. You might not be able to move. Just hold your boyfriend's hand and don't close your eyes. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Good. Let's get into the sand."

Willow pats the ground. I sit down slowly and lean back. Marvel takes my hand in his and squeezes it.

"Any last thoughts?" Willow asks as she puts the needle and thread on the leaf Johanna's given her.

"Um… Renee, you don't want to watch this." I say. "Oh, will I feel anything?"

"No. Unless the anesthesia is super weak. I suspect that it has moderate strength. Marvel, go get me some cloth and water."

Marvel runs to the cornucopia and grabs some discarded pieces of Glimmer's jumpsuit, along with a crate that we've filled with water.

"If you feel any pain, squeeze your boyfriend's hand three times. He'll put the rags in your mouth so you don't scream. Hey, back off, we're having a serious medical session here!" Enobaria, Gloss, and Johanna retreat back to the cornucopia.

"Ready?" Marvel asks. I shake my head.

"That's code for okay." Willow decides. "Water." Marvel moves the crate of water towards her. She rinses off her hands, grabs the syringe, and plunges it into my shoulder.

"If you can still feel, squeeze Marvel's hand." Willow orders. My body slowly fades into oblivion. I lie still.

"Okay. If you can talk, try to say something.

_I like blueberry muffins… where'd that come from?_

"I'm awake. So are the butterflies. Butterfly knives!" I sigh. Willow laughs.

"She's good. Thread and needle."

Marvel shoves the supplies towards her. She splashes some water on the wound, cleans off the needle, ties some thread to it, and starts sewing the wound shut. I can't stop thinking about butterfly knives.

"Butterfly knives. It's a butterfly!" I squeal. Willow smacks my hand.

"Don't move." She growls.

"I love you, Marvel. I love you soooooo much. Butterfly. Butter butter butter."

"Water."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I like your hair. You look hot when you get worried. Cato has a birthmark on his back."

"What? How do you know this?" Marvel chokes.

"Friendly little crossing of the li- butterfly!"

"Can you make her shut up, Marvel?"

"Clove, shh, you have to be a little quieter, okay?"

"Butterfly kni- ow!"

"_Shit."_ Willow hisses under her breath. "This anesthesia is faulty. Marvel, get the cloth." Marvel shoves the rags into my mouth and draws little squiggles on the back of my hand. A sharp pain goes racing through my chest.

"Mmph! Mmrvl! Hlp!" I mumble into the cloth. "MW!" Willow rinses off her hands again and pokes the needle through my flesh. I whimper and bite down on the cloth.

"Hey! It's okay! Two more stitches, that's all that's left. Shh, shh! It'll be fine!" Marvel strokes my hair. Another flash of pain.

"OW! Dammit… son of a bitch…" I spit out the sloth and start to swear. "Ow!"

"Hurry up!" Marvel starts screaming at Willow, who takes the blunt end of axe and knocks him back.

"One more stitch. It's gonna hurt a lot." She mutters, and strings the needle through my skin again.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" I gasp. Willow ties the string and sits back.

"Let's get some more water." She suggests, and dumps the crate of bloodied water onto the shore. I roll onto my feet and hobble with her to the cornucopia.

"All patched up?" Cato asks. Marvel joins us.

"Yeah, she is. Oh, and you have a birthmark on your back?" he smirks.

"Clove! Damn you! I thought we agreed to keep that quiet!"

"She had too much anesthesia in her system. Don't stress her, or I'll kill you and your little doll here in your sleep." Willow grumbles. Everyone gathers around for lunch. Enobaria is taking her first sip of water when the arrow flies into her head.

.

**Eleven will be up tomorrow.**

**Release dates for the end of this story and the sequel:**

**Final Chapter of Quell: 2/1/14**

**First Chapter of the sequel: 2/14/14**


	11. Exploding

**Eleven. Already.**

**Enjoy.**

**.**

"Alder, get over here!" Willow screams. I realize that I forgot to mention Alder's death.

"He's dead!" I say as I hand Bailey one of my knives. Willow stares at me in disbelief.

"_What? _Why the hell didn't you tell me? I just saved your life!"

"I'm sorry! I forgot!"

"Shut up!" Gloss yells. Brutus tries to ward of Finnick, but ends up with a trident in his chest. _Boom. _Both of my mentors are dead.

"Oh, is Brutus dead now? Just checking!" Willow snaps. She throws an axe at the woman from Three. I shove her towards the ocean.

"You were the one giving me the anesthesia!" I scream. She pushes back, slamming me on the ground at Cashmere's feet.

"I gave you that anesthesia after you came back! You had plenty of time to tell me!" Willow snarls. Gloss pushes me against the cornucopia while Willow and Cashmere start battling Finnick Odair.

"You're going to protect your allies, not kill them, do I make myself clear?" he growls. I nod and wriggle free of his grasp. Johanna is swiping at the Drunk. Blight pushes his way in front of her to get in a swing, but the Drunk knocks him to the ground. Loverboy sinks a knife into Johanna's back just as she's about to go in for the death blow. She screams in frustration and knocks him into the water. The Drunk reaches over to pull the knife out. He drives it straight into Blight's heart. Willow makes a strange choking sound and twitches. Two District 7 tributes dead within about two hours. I want to rewind everything, but it seems as if the world's gone into fast forward. Can I go back and get Alder? Can I go back and get Blight? No. I know that I can't, but I still hope that no one else will die.

Blight's cannon goes off.

"Damn it!" Willow whispers. She pulls out an axe and throws it at Finnick Odair. His arm is only scraped. While he's distracted, Cashmere jumps on his back and sends him flailing into the water. Firebomb is already running away, two little girls in tow. The Drunk and Loverboy join her, along with Finnick. They run off to the twelve o'clock section.

"We lost Enobaria, Brutus, and Blight." Bailey reports. "Come on, we'll be safer in the jungle." I stick a few axes and knives in my belt and start trotting off miserably. Gloss and I end up walking together.

"Gloss? Can you promise me something?" I ask. He laughs coldly.

"Sure, sweetie. Go ahead."

"I need you to keep Marvel, Cato, Willow, and Glimmer safe. I mean, we're coming down to the last few people and-" before I can finish my though, the anthem blares though the arena. Enobaria's picture is the first to show, followed by Brutus's. The boy and the woman from Three are next. Everyone from Five has now died as well. Alder and Blight's pictures go up after the morphling from Six. Willow kicks me in the shin as the faces of Bailey's partner, the male mentor from Nine, and Thresh are shown.

And then there's silence. We're all tired. We're all injured. Even Johanna is choking on her words.

"Head count, Willow."

"Four from One. Two from Two. One from Three. One from Four. Two from Seven. One from Nine. Two from Eleven. Four from Twelve. Seventeen left. Nine are in our alliance and seven are with Katniss. One's unaccounted for. Chaff." Willow says.

"This is how it went last time. The rogue from Eleven, the star-crossed-psychos from Twelve, and me." Cato spits viciously. Glimmer stands on her toes and whispers something in his ear.

"How did so many people die? I never heard their cannons." I say.

"Some died while you were in the jabberjay section. Others died in the morning, when most of us were still asleep. You were probably too zoned to he-" Marvel starts. Johanna nudges him in the ribs. Footsteps start pattering through the jungle. We hunch behind a cluster of bushes.

"_-midnight. We'll wrap this wire around the tree. Katniss, Haymitch, you two will run the wire down to the sand. Make sure that the whole thing is in the water. Move over a few sections and wait in the jungle. After the storm, come meet us here. Finnick, and Peeta will be my guards. Rue and Primrose will stay up in the tree until there's approximately fifteen minutes left until midnight. We'll then go over to the eleven o'clock section. Is everyone clear?"_

"_Yeah, but why can't Peeta and I go down to the water?"_

"_You two are much more vulnerable together. Now, take the wire."_

"_Fine. See you at midnight, Peeta. Love you, Prim and Rue. Come on, Haymitch."_

As the footsteps fade, we huddle together.

"Gloss and I can take the two going down to the water. Johanna and Marvel will lure Loverboy and the se- I mean Finnick- out into the woods. Clove and Willow will attack whoever's near the tree. Cato and Bailey will be their guards." Cashmere plans. We murmur our assent. Glimmer coughs.

"Oh, put her up in a tree." Willow snorts. Cato lifts the blonde up into a palm. Before he and Cashmere leave, I grab Gloss's arm.

"Keep Marvel, Willow, Cato, and Glimmer safe. I'm not going to be the first one to attack. There's seventeen left, and tonight is the finale." I whisper. He nods.

"Okay. I will."

"Swear to it."

"I swear. You keep safe now, too, okay kid?"

"Yeah." I rub my forehead. Seventeen out of forty-eight are still alive. Thirty-one are dead. By morning, I have a sickening feeling that the thirty-one will turn into forty-seven. Willow and I press against a thick tree. Marvel hands me something as he passes.

"Stay safe, okay?" he pecks me on the lips and moves on.

"You two are disgusting." Willow notes.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Okay, let's go." Johanna says. She and Marvel start screaming every single profane word or phrase they know. Finnick and Loverboy are after them in seconds. Willow guides me into a clearing where the man from Three is guarding some wire. I fend off his weak attempts at fighting me and stab him in the heart. Cato and Bailey stand at the edge of the clearing.

"Cut that wire down." Willow suggests as the man's cannon goes off with a loud thud.

_Wait._

The lightning is powerful enough to send a strong electric current through the wire. In theory, that much electricity could fuel District 3 for a few hours. It could kill. It could shut down some sort of electric thing.

Is the force field electric? Where is it? Since we're a fair distance away from the cornucopia, it should be close. And there's one smart person still left…

"Hey, I need the genius over here." I call. Cato comes running over.

"Yeah? What is it?" he asks. I punch him in the shoulder.

"Not you, idiot! Bailey!"

"Yeah?" Bailey shoves Cato out of the way. I hand her a knife.

"The force field. Where is it?"

"Oh, it should be just past this tree. My district partner died from hitting it. He was the stupidest person ever. Let me check." She says, and gathers a few stones. I watch her circling around the tree, tossing the stones towards her right. One of the rocks ricochets and whizzes over her head.

"Right here!" Bailey calls. I race over to where she's standing. Screams start echoing through the arena. _Boom. Firebomb, the Drunk, Cashmere, Gloss, Johanna, Marvel, Chaff, Finnick, Loverboy. _One of them is dead. I pray that it's Firebomb. Over my head, the tree rustles.

"_Rue, stop moving! They'll hear us!"_

"_Sorry! Didn't mean to."_

Cato peers up at two little girls. They freeze and stare right back. I know that I'm done killing people, so I offer a hand up into the tree.

"You two should get out of here. Go find safety, whatever." I say as they jump out of the tree. Firebomb's sister glares at me. It's a little scary how much she looks like Renee. I hand each of them a knife.

"Clove, why don't we just kill them?" Cato growls.

"I don't feel like killing anyone right now. What are you waiting for? Get out of here before I change my mind!" I shout. The girls run out of the clearing.

Another cannon fires. _Fifteen left._

"_Peeta! No!"_

So now Loverboy is dead? Cato starts grinning madly.

"Clove. Look up." Willow shouts. I look at the sky. A swirl of clouds is starting to crackle. Tick tock. Twelve o'clock.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Bailey says. She walks with Cato and Willow away from the tree. Three cannons go off simultaneously. _Boom! Boom! Boom! _Twelve left.

"Clove. Get away from the tree." Cato yells. I hack off the wire and attach it to a knife. _Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock._

As soon as the first blast of lightning comes spiraling down to the tree, I drive the knife into the force field.

My world explodes.

_Real or not real? I am dying. _The sky flickers and starts to crumble. Fiery chunks of shrapnel fly over me. The trees and the ground start flaming. The scream of a little girl can be heard, but there's no way that her cannon can be heard over the roars of the explosions. Does the cannon go off? I stare blankly at the roof of the arena as a tiny blue dot appears. The dot grows into a hole. A hovercraft descends through the hole and sends down a claw to wrap around my body.

I know that I am dead. I know that my actions in the arena will result in utter chaos. What is happening at home? Has the capitol sent their peacekeepers to kill my mother? Will they kill Renee? Sweet little Renee, who braided daisies. Sweet little Renee, who would paint the hilts of my knives.

No. I cannot help them. They will die because of my defiance.

I'm being loaded into the hovercraft as I start to lose consciousness. _Real or not real? The face that I see is Plutarch Heavensbee's. _Real. He starts injecting different liquids into my arm. Maybe I am alive, after all.

No, I am dead, I think as the world fades into never-ending night.

.

**I smell finale chapter.**

**New release dates!**

**Chapter 12 of Quell: 1/25/14**

**Chapter 1 of the sequel: 1/25/14**


	12. Waking

**The finale of Quell has arrived.**

**Tick tock.**

**Watch the clock.**

**The next story will be up soon.**

**.**

_Real or not real? I am alive. Real._

_._

My first attempt at waking up is pathetic. I only see a blur of grey and navy blue before I'm pulled under by the five thousand drugs that are flowing into my blood.

.

The second attempt lasts a bit longer. I can count the needles sticking into my arms. Twelve. What a terrible joke. _Tick tock. I died at twelve o'clock. Tick tock. I woke up at seven o'clock. _There is one little clock in the room. It's tick-tocking into seven thirty when I fall asleep again.

.

The third attempt is the last attempt. I'm tired of being sedated by the drugs, so I fumble with the tubes until they're all out. _Where are you, Clove? _I'm in the holding zone, where I sat when I was being taken to the arena. I've been hooked into a tiny machine that is probably the reason I'm alive.

A head of red hair stirs. Bailey has been taken as well. Taken. Not rescued. Not captured. Taken. There are long scorch marks down her cheek.

"_- she won't cooperate."_

"_She will. She'll have to."_

"_Not when she finds out about her mother! Not when she finds out about Two! Not when she finds out about Marvel!"_

Marvel. Where is he? What has happened to him? Is he here? I pull myself to my feet. There's a small door at one end of the holding area. I stumble towards it.

"She'll never cooperate. She's stubborn."

The door slides open, revealing Cato, Gloss, and Plutarch Heavensbee. They're seated around a circular table.

"Morning, sweetie." Gloss smiles tiredly. Cato has a plate of soup and bread in front of him, but none of it has been eaten. Plutarch nods politely.

"What did you say about Two?" I ask. Cato buries his head in his arms. I've never seen Cato cry, but here it is. Something is so wrong. The sadness hangs in the air.

"Clove, why don't you eat something?" Gloss offers. I stay standing.

"No. What did you say about District 2?" my voice is rising. Cato stops crying and stares at the table.

"Um… when the games ended, the Capitol sent hovercrafts into a few districts. The hovercrafts bombed everything. Only a handful of people made it out of Two. Your mother died." Heavensbee says with absolutely no pity.

"_What about Renee? Where the hell is Marvel?"_ And now I'm screaming as loud as I can. Cato starts crying again.

"Your sister is safe. So are your friends Kalia and Makenzie." Gloss reassures me.

"_WHERE IS MARVEL?" _I sob hysterically.

"Well, when we sent in our hovercraft, the capitol sent in a hovercraft, too. We retrieved Cato, Bailey, Primrose Everdeen, Gloss, and yourself. The capitol got to Willow, Johanna, Finnick Odair, Glimmer, and Marvel." Plutarch Heavensbee explains.

"_You son of a bitch!" _I slap Gloss across his face. "You promised to keep them safe! You swore that you'd keep them safe! You lied! I hate you!"

Plutarch sinks another syringe into my neck, and I'm asleep again.

.

_Tick tock._

_This is a clock._

"_She is the symbol of hope. This is the rebellion."_

.

TO BE CONTINUED.

.

***Atlas starts playing while you all file out of the theater with your popcorn.***

**The sequel will be up at 1:00 PM, GMT -5 time. The title: Rebellion.**

_**Tick tock.**_


End file.
